It continues...

Found this fella who has taken it upon himself to do a watercolour painting of every single AW ink drawing.

I'm not sure if it's got quite the same magic to it. AW's self-imposed task for the pictorial guide books was just that, self-imposed. He wasn't following anybody else, his inspirations were the Lakes. I think people see the success of this formula and try and latch on to it, is that cynical?

Alfred Wainwright Documentary: The Man Who Loved the Lakes

As part of my research on AW, I've watched this documentary first shown on BBC Four. It references quite heavily a Desert Island Disc episode I've already listened to, I didn't realise that that had been such an important interview in AW's life!

Here are my notes:

• Born with red hair, nobody else in the family was. His mother used to hide him in a  drawer because of this.
• Liked the shape of writing as well as the words, particularly on maps. 
• Made what were essentially zines about his office, complete with caricatures of work colleagues and gossip columns.
• Chucked out 100 pages of his first book because he wasn’t happy with the drawings and wanted justified text. Clearly obsessive.
• Publisher said that he didn’t think anybody had done a hand written book like this since the monks, it's an interesting comparison and possibly something I could build on.
• When he met second wife Betty for the first time it was to tell her off. She had rented accommodation for a charity event from the council and the event had overrun by an hour. After giving her a talking to they never met again for another 8 years.
• He could be very, very funny. ‘Take care and do not start fires. Or so waste all the effort put into drawing these little trees on this map.’
• Hid a shilling under the top of one mountain in a playful interaction with his audience.
• People wanted to meet him! Rumours would spread about where he was and crowds would gather but he was never there.
• Always felt lonely and bereft like a baby. Was a bit of a man-child.
• His first marriage had some serious issues, mostly because his wife did not share his ambitions and that caused tension between them. She was a simple mill girl and he always felt 'inferior' (as said in his Desert Island Discs episode) because of his social status.
• He wrote a story secretly about this time and in it described a magical future wife...
• When Betty wrote again and they began meeting he gave her the manuscript and asked her to read it. She decided to continue the affair
• Poor Ruth found out from the neighbour! She found something in his desk, probably a letter. She was faithful even leaving him, though they never spoke again, she left him notes on how to look after the house.
• AW had no idea how to look after himself. Christ.
• Sue Lawley: ‘It was as though his life was a long slow ascent to a summit’ 
• Gave most of his wealth away to animal charities. 
• His ashes are scattered on Haystacks, along with many others. He says of this, ‘I shall be in company.’

Lili + Marcus

Lili Scratchey


I love Lili's sweet kitschy ceramics and illustrations! The forms in her work are wonderful and imaginative. :^)

Marcus Oakley


I really enjoy the direct style that he uses, and the colours too ~